Many liquid food containers, such as pitchers and the like, are difficult to clean, primarily because of their depth. Moreover, these types of containers are often in need of frequent cleaning, for example, in commercial environments, such as a restaurant or cocktail lounge, where the pitcher component of a blender may be continually used to blend different drinks.
One possible way to clean these deep containers is to provide a nozzle-like device at the end of a hose. Such, however, requires the close attention of the user who must hold the container with one hand and the nozzle with the other while directing the spray to various locations in the container.
In an alternative solution to the problem, a low profile platform has been provided with an upwardly directed nozzle which is in communication with a water source. A container to be cleaned is inverted, and when its rim engages the platform, a spray is emitted from the nozzle. However, such a device does not assure the complete cleaning of the entire container, particularly those that are quite deep. Moreover, the low profile unit is particularly ineffective for cleaning the bottom of a container, and when the container bottom includes blades, as would be found in a container of a blender, the bottom of the blades are particularly difficult to clean.
As a result, a device has been developed wherein the nozzle is positioned on top of a vertically oriented tower which extends upwardly from a base. The tower can be placed in communication with water under pressure. When the bottom of an inverted container is pressed against the top of the tower, a spray is emitted at that location. A problem with this type of device, however, relates to the seal that must be provided at the top of the tower, which problem is compounded in low pressure water conditions. The seal in this device was formed by a conical surface being forced against a face of a flat washer. There was a large amount of surface contact which, therefore, required a relatively high amount of force to maintain the seal. As a result, low water pressure conditions might well cause leakage.
Thus, the need exists for a device which will clean containers of all reasonable sizes without the problems of the prior art.